Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Noise

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HS2 Ltd's Noise Prediction Model is more accurate than the Noise Prediction Model developed for HS1; and how this can be demonstrated.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: High Speed 2 is currently using the prediction model originally developed for HS1 to predict noise from the operational railway. Input assumptions have of course been varied to reflect relevant differences, such as the higher speeds of HS2. As set out in the Environmental Statements for Phase 1 and Phase 2a of HS2, this prediction method has been shown to generate noise predictions that agreed well with actual measurements taken of high speed trains in France. The hybrid Bill process intensively scrutinised how the HS1 noise model should be applied to HS2, and which input assumptions should be used. Where those input assumptions are further refined during the detailed design stage, for example as the performance of the track or rolling stock is refined/confirmed, the new assumptions and their evidence base is shared with local authorities through the relevant HS2 Planning Forum subgroup.

Cycling: Bus Lanes

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) powered, and (2) unpowered, ‘cargobikes’ using bus lanes; and whether they have issued guidance on the use of bus lanes by such vehicles.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Cargo bikes are considered a type of pedal cycle in law. Pedal cycles are allowed to use bus lanes by default, as indicated by the cycle symbol on bus lane signs. Electrically assisted cargo-bikes would be treated as pedal cycles provided they conform to the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Regulations 1983 (as amended). The Department is not aware of any particular concerns with the use of bus lanes by cargo bikes and has not issued any guidance to local authorities on this matter. The detailed design and provision of bus lanes are matters for individual local traffic authorities.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to bring forward regulations to require operators of electric vehicle charging points to make their services interoperable with other charging networksin order to allowdrivers to use any membership card at a charging point.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government is committed to ensuring consumers have reliable access to a comprehensive vehicle charging network so that they can easily and conveniently charge their cars. The Government is currently consulting on using its powers under the Automated Electric Vehicles Act to mandate minimum requirements, including requiring chargepoint operators to make their services interoperable with other charging networks, to improve the experience of consumers when using a public chargepoint. We will continue to support industry and consumers to make the switch to cleaner vehicles. We will publish a clear delivery plan in 2021.

Railways: North of England

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey have askedTransport for the North to delay submitting their business plan for Northern Powerhouse Rail; and if so, why.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department has asked Transport for the North to submit the Strategic Outline Case for Northern Powerhouse Rail after the Integrated Rail Plan is published. A Strategic Outline Case which is consistent with the Government’s policy and funding framework, to be set out in the Integrated Rail Plan, will allow a more rapid alignment around single route options and quicker progress than envisaged in previous plans.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Insolvency: South Yorkshire

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many businesses have declared bankruptcy in each parliamentary constituency in South Yorkshirein the current financial year to date.

Lord Callanan: The Insolvency Service publishes National Statistics on insolvency cases for England and Wales combined. It is not possible to identify accurately companies that trade in South Yorkshire specifically, or companies that operated within specific parliamentary constituencies before entering insolvency. The data used for insolvency statistics is compiled from information at Companies House. The registered office address for a company may not be representative of its trading location, and often it is changed upon insolvency to the address of the appointed Insolvency Practitioner dealing with the case. Subject to these caveats, the table below sets out the data on all registered company insolvencies from April 2020 to January 2021 (inclusive):  Estimated number of registered company insolvencies in South Yorkshire by parliamentary constituency of company registered office1 April 2020 to 31 January 2021ConstituencyRegistered Company InsolvenciesBarnsley Central5Barnsley East0Don Valley5Doncaster Central54Doncaster North1Penistone and Stocksbridge1Rother Valley3Rotherham1Sheffield Central97Sheffield South East14Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough10Sheffield, Hallam182Sheffield, Heeley0Wentworth and Dearne4Total377Sources: Insolvency Service (compulsory liquidations); Companies House (all other company insolvencies)  The Insolvency Service also holds data on personal bankruptcies in South Yorkshire during 2020 where the individual concerned ran a business as a sole trader or partnership. This information will be available later this year following the summer release of the official statistics covering the location, age and gender of individuals that entered insolvency in 2020 (provisionally due to be released in August 2021). The latest published statistics covering the period 2000 to 2019 can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Coronavirus: Clinical Trials

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are offering to those who volunteer for the COVID-19 human challenge study.

Lord Callanan: The safety of any participant in a clinical study is always the absolute priority of the research team. The studies will take place in specialised units with very close monitoring and with medics on hand with treatments if they are needed.The volunteers for the COVID-19 Human Challenge Study will be compensated for their time. The amount that the volunteers receive will be benchmarked against previous studies and the Research Ethics Committee has reviewed this amount to ensure that it is fair. For expenses such as travel, volunteers will be compensated out-of-pocket.

Horizon Nuclear Power

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Japan about facilitating a transfer of ownership of Horizon and its sites to another development company or other relevant commercial business.

Lord Callanan: Japan is a significant strategic partner for the UK and we regularly discuss a range of issues, including nuclear energy. It would not be appropriate to comment on the detail of these discussions.The sites at Wylfa and Oldbury are owned by Horizon Nuclear Power and the future ownership of it and its assets is a matter for Hitachi, its parent company.

Renewable Energy

Baroness Blackstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the results of the consultation on Aligning UK international support for the clean energy transition will be published; and what plans they have to publish policy proposals on the basis of the results of that consultation.

Lord Callanan: As stated in the consultation document, the Government will publish its response as soon as possible, once it has considered the evidence provided and taken a decision on the optimum implementation date for the policy shift.

Green Homes Grant Scheme

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth on 2 February (145087), whether the Green Home Grant allocations to local authorities set out in Lord Callanan’s letter to Peers on 29 January will still be applied if the £2 billion made available for Green Home Grants is not rolled over into 2021/22.

Lord Callanan: The £500m government funding for the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery (GHG-LAD) scheme is independent of the funding allocated to the Green Homes Grant Voucher scheme. The GHG-LAD scheme is being delivered in three phases:- Phase 1A; over £74million was allocated to 55 Local Authorities in October 2020 to fund energy efficiency projects in over 100 Local Authorities by June 2021.- Phase 1B:  around £126million of grant offers were made to 81 Local Authorities in January 2021, for delivery of energy efficiency projects by September 2021. Further details of these allocations will be announced in the coming weeks once Memorandums of Understanding with individual Local Authorities have been signed.- Phase 2:  will see funding of £300m allocated to the five Local Energy Hubs this financial year who will work with Local Authorities in their region to deliver energy efficiency projects by December 2021.

Charities: Official Receiver

Lord Lipsey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review (1) the role, and (2) the practice, of the Official Receiver with regard to charities.

Lord Callanan: The Official Receiver is a statutory office holder whose role is set out in legislation, primarily the Insolvency Act 1986. The operational practice of the Official Receiver, with regard to all matters in which an Official Receiver is appointed, is kept under review to reflect developments in legislation and case law.

Property: Ownership

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what records theymaintain in relation to land and property in the UK held by non-UK citizens; and whether they will publish a list of the ten non-UK citizens who own the most property in the UK.

Lord Callanan: HM Land Registry does not hold information on the nationality of property owners.

Visas: EU Countries

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made on securing exemptions to visa requirements for (1) UK nationals performing short-term paid work in the EU, and (2) EU nationals undertaking such work in the UK.

Lord Callanan: The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) already includes measures for short-term business visitors, who can perform a list of 11 activities without requiring a work-permit, subject to a limited number of Member State reservations. EU Member States may allow more activities without a work-permit than those specified in the agreement. This will vary country to country. Visa-free travel is not usually part of Free Trade Agreements, although the UK and EU both allow visa-free visits in their domestic laws. EU nationals can visit the UK for up to 6 months and perform a wide range of business activities (which can be found under the ‘Permitted Activities’ of the Immigration Rules). UK nationals can visit the EU for 90 days in every 180 days and also perform a range of visitor activities, although these will vary from Member State to Member State.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Negligence

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage ofclinical negligence cases thatappeared in courtin the 2019/20 financial year resultedin the NHS paying damages.

Lord Bethell: In many of the small proportion of cases that go to court, the relevant National Health Service body will have already admitted liability, but are contesting claims for excessive fees or damages. In 2019/20, less than 1% of claims proceeded to trial and in 75% of those cases, NHS Resolution achieved a judgement in favour of the NHS.

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of steroid inhalers for the prevention of serious symptoms of COVID-19.

Lord Bethell: The Department has monitored a collection of small studies which have now completed and provided some positive signals on inhaled steroids. This includes the STOIC study at Oxford University which examined the use of inhaled budesonide, a corticosteroid, in the treatment of early COVID-19. STOIC published results which are undergoing peer review. However, larger-scale studies are still needed to confirm the effectiveness and safety of such treatments.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what steps they are taking to ensure that the safety recommendations made inthe report bythe Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch COVID-19 transmission in hospitals:management of the risk – aprospective safety investigation,published in October 2020, are implemented.

Lord Bethell: The Department has worked closely with system partners to give careful consideration to the recommendations made and have accepted those recommendations that have been directed at the Department. Detailed actions outlining how the Department intends to implement the recommendations, are set out in our response to the report which is expected to be published by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch in due course.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of concerns that the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine provides limited protection for the elderly; and what advice they are giving to elderly people who have already had their first dose of this vaccine.

Lord Bethell: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has advised that current evidence does not suggest any lack of protection against COVID-19 in people aged 65 years old or over who receive COVID-19 Oxford/AstraZeneca Vaccine. Their data shows that the vaccine produces a strong immune response in the over 65 year olds and that it is safe. Therefore we are confident in the decision to authorise the vaccine in this age group.This decision is in line with that made by the European Medicines Agency, who have authorised COVID-19 Oxford/AstraZeneca Vaccine in people from 18 years of age, including those aged 65 years old and above. On 10 February, the World Health Organization have also stated that the benefits of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh any risks and the shot should be recommended for use, including in people aged 65 years old and over.The Department has also been working closely with Public Health England and NHS England and NHS Improvement to provide authoritative information to the public on COVID-19 vaccination, including an information pack for healthcare professionals and the public about the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Grade of Yarmouth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what lessons they have learnt from the government of Israel’s campaign in response to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in that country; and what steps they are taking to apply any such lessons to the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines in the UK.

Lord Bethell: The Department is regularly in discussions with other countries on a wide range of COVID-19 issues, including Israel, to share learnings and collaborate internationally on the vaccination programme. Feedback from these discussions, where relevant, is used to improve the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines in the United Kingdom.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prioritise crematorium and funeral workersfor receipt of a COVID-19 vaccination.

Lord Bethell: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccine/s the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level. The JCVI identified that the vaccination of frontline healthcare workers should be a priority for the COVID-19 vaccination programme. Frontline staff are at high risk of acquiring COVID-19 infection but also of transmitting that infection to multiple persons who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 as well as to other staff in a healthcare environment. Crematorium operations may involve handling the deceased and therefore present a risk of exposure to COVID-19. However, these functions do not necessitate entering or accessing a healthcare setting so there is a low risk of transmitting infection to multiple vulnerable persons or other staff in a healthcare environment.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of Israel's approach to administering COVID-19 vaccinations.

Lord Bethell: We have not made any formal assessment of the vaccine deployment outside the United Kingdom’s own programme.However, Ministers and officials continue to monitor vaccine deployment programmes across the world, including Israel’s, and share learnings and collaborate internationally on the role of deploying safe, effective vaccines in response to COVID-19.

Contact Tracing: Contracts

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the criteria for the award of contracts to private companies for England’s COVID-19 Test and Trace services; what is the estimated cost of the Test and Trace programme; and what assessment they have made of reports that Test and Trace contractors are failing to meet targets.

Lord Bethell: Each of the Departmental COVID-19 contracts contain information on the award criteria, whether as a Direct Award using regulation 32(2)(c) under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 under which authorities are allowed to procure goods, services and works with extreme urgency in exceptional circumstances or a call off contract from an existing Government framework contract. The Government has allocated a total of £22 billion to the Test and Trace programme in 2020-21 with a further £15 billion for 2021-22.  All contracts are being monitored to ensure that performance and quality assurance standards are being met. Where poor performance has been identified we have taken appropriate measures to rectify this.

Department for Education

Askham Bryan College: Newton Rigg College

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the acquisition of Newton Rigg College in Cumbria by Askham Bryan College in York in 2011 met their standards of propriety in public sector procurement; and what plans they have, if any, to review the negotiation process that took place during the acquisition.

Baroness Berridge: Following the decision by the University of Cumbria in 2010, to cease delivering the provision of further education funded by the Skills Funding Agency and the Young People’s Learning Agency, the Skills Funding Agency led an open and competitive procurement process, in accordance with Part B of Schedule 3 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, to secure an alternative provider or providers for the delivery of arts provision in Carlisle and predominately land-based provision at Newton Rigg. As a result of this competition, the funding for students studying further education at the University’s Brampton Road building was transferred to Carlisle College, and the funding for students studying further education at Newton Rigg, together with the further education assets at Newton Rigg, was transferred to Askham Bryan College. The procurement was subject to a review by Cabinet Office in 2011 and its findings have been published on gov.uk and are attached.The successor organisation to the Skills Funding Agency, the Education and Skills Funding Agency now procure provision in accordance with the requirements of the Public Contracts Regulations, 2015. In some circumstances, for example the provision of education and training for young people, separate arrangements apply, but processes and procedures are fair and transparent. Where this applies, we use a mix of local negotiation and tendering appropriate to the circumstances in each case. HL13379_attachment (pdf, 202.6KB)

Aerospace Industry: Apprentices

Lord Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many apprenticeships there were in the aerospace industry in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, and (3) 2020; and how many of those apprentices were (a) female, and (b) male.

Lord Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many apprentices there were in training in British airports in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, and (3) 2020; and how many of those apprentices were (a) female, and (b) male.

Lord Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many apprentices there were in training in British airports in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, and (3) 2020; and how many of those apprentices were (a) female, and (b) male.

Baroness Berridge: The department has published information on apprenticeship starts by broad industry sector between the academic years 2012/13 and 2019/20.Apprenticeship starts relating to aerospace technology are not currently published separately, however they are most likely to be included in sector H: Transportation and Storage.The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts by gender in the transportation and storage industry in the academic years 2017/18 to 2019/20. 2017/182018/192019/20Total matched apprenticeship starts364,840366,170301,410Total Sector H: Transportation and Storage9,08011,1409,450Male6,6207,6406,460Female2,4703,5002,990 Regarding the number of apprentices in training in British airports, this information is not held centrally. For further information on apprenticeship starts by sector subject area or geographical location, the ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: January 2021’ publication is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships-january-2021.The data in the table above relates to apprenticeship starts where a match has been found between the Department for Education’s Individualised Learner Record and the Office for National Statistics Inter-Departmental Business Register. This match allows information about apprentices to be linked to business information relating to the apprentice’s employer. In the academic years 2017/18 to 2019/20, 93% of all apprenticeship starts were matched to an employer.

Home Education

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis the Office of the Children's Commissioner for England categorises 'children withdrawn from school to be home educated' as 'vulnerable children'.

Baroness Berridge: The Office of the Children’s Commissioner is independent of the government and Parliament.Children can be vulnerable for many different reasons. For the majority, being home educated will not affect the risk they are at. The government supports the right of parents to educate children at home when they wish to do so. Educating children at home works well when it is a positive choice and carried out with a proper regard for the needs of the child. However, we are looking carefully at the rise in Elective Home Education (EHE), particularly in respect to those children who have a social worker, education health and care plan or are known to children’s social care.Following the announcement made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, on 22 February 2021, children are expected to attend provision from 8 March 2021. We are working closely with local authorities to encourage a return to full attendance in school and will be monitoring the situation, particularly to ensure that vulnerable children make a good transition back to school where they have not attended during the period of national restrictions. Where parents are anxious about the safety of their children returning to school, local authorities and school leaders will be reinforcing that it is in the best interests of pupils to return to school, particularly those who are vulnerable and might miss out most from time away from the classroom.It is the responsibility of local authorities to take action when it appears that the EHE provision made by parents is unsuitable or a request for a child to be electively home educated would place the child at risk. If parents are unable to satisfy the local authority that the provision is suitable then the local authority can serve a school attendance order on the parents. In April 2019 we issued new and strengthened guidance to local authorities on how they can exercise these powers.On 20 October 2020 we published advice for parents considering EHE, see link https://dfemedia.blog.gov.uk/2020/10/20/all-you-need-to-know-about-home-schooling-and-elective-home-education-ehe. This is designed to be shared with parents, schools, social workers and local authorities, where the option of EHE is raised. The document is intended to make clear implications of withdrawing their child from school and the challenge involved in providing EHE. At the same time we also produced information for local authorities and those who work with children, to set out how we expect those with duties to ensure children receive a suitable education to use their powers to engage with parents considering EHE where appropriate. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/elective-home-education.

Education Recovery Commissioner

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the objectives of the new appointee to the post of Education Recovery Commissioner; and how they intend to take account of the educational deprivation of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma children.

Baroness Berridge: The government is committed to helping children and young people regardless of background to make up learning lost as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.In January 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, committed to work with parents, teachers and pupils to develop a long-term plan to help pupils make up their learning over the course of this Parliament. As an immediate step to support early years settings, schools and colleges, on 24 February, we committed an additional £700 million to support summer schools, tutoring, early language interventions and additional support to schools to help pupils make up their learning.We have appointed Sir Kevan Collins as the Education Recovery Commissioner to advise on this broader plan. The objectives of the Education Recovery Commissioner as outlined in the terms of reference are to advise on the design and implementation of potential interventions that will help students catch up learning lost due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Education Recovery Commissioner will also consider how schools and the system can more effectively target resources and support at pupils and areas in greatest need, regardless of background.The terms of reference for the Education Recovery Commissioner are published here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/960070/Terms_of_reference.pdf#:~:text=Education%20Recovery%20Commissioner%3A%20role%20specification%20and%20terms%20of,approach%20for%20education%20recovery%2C%20with%20a%20particular%20focus.

Ministry of Justice

Women's Prisons

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their announcement of 23 January of up to 500 new places for women in prisons, (1) what was the evidence base for this decision, (2) how much each cell will cost, (3) what is their estimate for the additional running costs for these places for each of the next 20 years, (4) what alternative uses these places will be put to in the event they are not needed, and (5) what evaluation they made regarding the effectiveness of this decision compared to investing in women's community groups designed to prevent crime.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Our prison population projections published in November 2020 show that the female prison population is projected to rise by around two-fifths by 2026 (1,300 women) with most of that rise coming in the next two years. Our projections took in to consideration the impact of the planned recruitment of a further 23,400 police officers – the impact of which cannot be ignored. Doing nothing is not an option. It is our responsibility to ensure that those women who need to be in custody are held in appropriate, decent and safe accommodation. The design of the new accommodation is being developed to be trauma-informed and gender-specific with improved outcomes for women. Our design principles include requirements around ensuring suitable visiting spaces are provided, greater in-cell communication options informed by what we have learned from the COVID pandemic, and in open designs the potential inclusion of rooms to support overnight visits for mothers and their children (currently already delivered in two prisons within the women’s estate). We are currently unable to confirm how much each cell will cost or provide an estimate for additional running costs for the next 20 years. This is in large part as the cells will be a mixture of both open and closed places – and the inevitable variation in ancillaries costs which would need to be taken in to account. In the event these additional cells are no longer needed, this new accommodation will enable us to close old, poorer quality capacity in parts of the women’s estate. This is also an established aim of the custodial element of our Female Offender Strategy. We are not investing in these prison places at the expense of women's community services - this is not an 'either/or’ approach. As well as investing in prison places to meet projected demand we are investing approximately £80m in community drug treatment, £70m in accommodation services, and a further £2m to support 38 grassroots organisations doing incredible work steering women away from the criminal justice system. In addition to this, we are developing new Residential Centres for women in the community which is being initially piloted in Wales.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Lord Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to make Ministry of Defence cadet force adult volunteering a position of trust for the purposes of child sex offences.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: I recognise that there are concerns about those who might abuse their position of power over a 16 or 17-year-old to pressure them into engaging in a sexual relationship. Such behaviour is likely to be caught by the robust laws we already have in place. We remain committed to protecting children and young people from sexual abuse and we want to ensure that existing offences are being used effectively to tackle this behaviour, and that those working with young people understand their responsibilities and act appropriately. To that effect my department, working closely with colleagues across government, has taken forward a review of the existing law, to check that that it is working effectively and to ensure young people are protected. This review involved feedback from a wide range of stakeholders. It is important that in any consideration for reform in this area we achieve the sensitive balance between the protection of young people and ensuring we do not infringe upon the sexual rights and freedoms of those over the age of 16 granted to them by Parliament. This is a complex area and we are now considering the findings of the review and next steps. We expect to be in a position to update Parliament on this work shortly.

Prisoners: Self-harm and Suicide

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are takingto reduce the incidence of (1) self-harm, and (2) suicide, in prisons.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: We take every death in custody very seriously, and we are focussing our efforts to address the levels of self-harm and support those at risk of suicide. This includes tailored action for the women’s prison estate, where a rise has been seen in self-harm incidents since Covid-19 measures were introduced.We are under no illusions about the impact of the measures which were put in place to protect lives during the Covid-19 pandemic and we have made prisoners’ safety and wellbeing our priority.We have produced a range of products to support Governors in devising and implementing local safety and welfare plans designed to mitigate risks and promote wellbeing. Over 25,000 new and existing staff have received self-harm and suicide prevention training to help them better support offenders with complex needs. We’ve enabled continued family contact through more than 1,600 secure mobile phones and rolled out secure video call technology into every single prison in the male, female and youth estate. Each prisoner is also given £5 PIN credit per week. We have renewed our partnership with the Samaritans who are providing the excellent Listeners scheme, which trains selected prisoners to provide emotional support to their fellow prisoners. We are also delivering more in cell-activities such as distraction packs, supplementary food packs, and additional educational materials to mitigate the impact of isolation.We have prioritised the roll-out of the revised version of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) multi-disciplinary case management system used in prisons to support people at risk of suicide and self-harm in the women’s estate.We will also be implementing the Offender Management in Custody model in the female estate in April. This will provide each woman with a dedicated key worker who will be able to better support them and identify concerns at an early stage so that women can receive the right support at the right time.Every prisoner in the male closed estate should have a key worker allocated to them with vulnerable and priority group prisoners having a daily wellbeing check at the minimum and weekly key work sessions where resource and risk allows whilst in regime level 4.

Courts: Coronavirus

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that COVID-19 safety protocols are being enforced in courthouses; and what plans they have to recruit more court support staff in response to the pandemic.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: HM Courts and Tribunals Service has well entrenched safeguards to ensure safety of all people in its buildings and we have a transparent framework in place to ensure these safeguards are adhered to. We have worked closely with public health organisations Public Health England, Public Health Wales and Public Health Scotland, and with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to develop this framework which includes the Organisational Risk Assessment and the Local Risk Assessment Tool which mandates a weekly - site specific - risk assessment is undertaken by local managers. Information is fed through governance chains including regional senior management, who ensure consistency, and confirm that the processes are embedded and effective. Assessments are shared with a wide range of stakeholders. Spot checks validate the assurances provided through the Local Assessments. These are conducted by our Assurance function and independently by qualified health and safety consultants. Furthermore, a Government Internal Audit Agency review of our internal Covid-19 health and safety processes, including compliance, concluded that our framework of governance, risk management and control was largely adequate and effective, with no significant weaknesses requiring remedial action. At least 20 external regulatory interventions (e.g. HSE or local authority Environment Health Team visits) have taken place in HMCTS buildings. In all but one case the inspection team has been satisfied both by our standards and their implementation on the ground. We also invite all staff and court users to report concerns so that they can be addressed. Concerns can be raised via local management; ‘Let Us Know’ or the newly established regional escalation route. Insofar as staffing is concerned, recruitment commenced from June 2020, to bring in an additional 1600 people to support the work of the courts in tackling backlogs and to increase capacity in our courts including Crown Courts.Of the 1600 people required, 1227 are already in post, and a further 354 individuals are undergoing clearances, and expected to join in the next few weeks.In addition, more court clerks and court administrative staff are being recruited to support the running of Nightingale courts and existing courts to increase sitting day capacity.

Crown Court: Recruitment

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the recruitment of Crown Court staff.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Recruitment commenced from June 2020, to bring in an additional 1600 people to support the work of the courts in tackling backlogs and to increase capacity in our courts including Crown Courts. Recruitment for these posts have been undertaken through various sources, to increase the number of candidates. These have included running national recruitment campaigns, accepting staff referrals, contacting retired staff members to ask them to return, and increasing our agency workforce. Of the 1600 people required, 1227 are already in post, and a further 354 individuals are undergoing clearances, and expected to join in the next few weeks. In addition, more court clerks and court administrative staff are being recruited to support the running of Nightingale courts and existing courts to increase sitting day capacity.

Courts: Coronavirus

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to fund additional Nightingale courts to clear the current court backlog.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: To ensure the safety of the physical estate and continue our efforts to tackle demand on the system we are investing £142m in court buildings and facilities, and a further £113m on a range of emergency measures – including the recruitment of 1,600 additional staff and creating more Nightingale courts. This funding – the largest investment in justice for decades – helped the system to turn a corner in December 2020 so that we were closing the same number of cases as before the pandemic in almost all jurisdictions, including Crown Courts. Up to the end of February 2021 we have opened 23 Nightingale courts providing 44 additional courtrooms. More are opening each week and we are on track to provide a total of 60 courtrooms across the estate by the end of March. Through our Spending Review settlement, we have secured significant additional funding in the next financial year to assist in the recovery of our courts and tribunals system, and we continue to consider the measures that are needed to achieve this.

Department for International Trade

Trade Promotion: Public Appointments

Lord Balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Grimstone of Boscobel on 23 February (HL13226), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, why they have appointed a Trade Envoy for Taiwan; and why they have not appointed a Trade Envoy for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: Trade Envoys engage with emerging and developing markets where substantial trade and investment opportunities have been identified by the UK Government. The appointment by the Prime Minister in January 2016 of a Trade Envoy to Taiwan was based on feedback received from the British Trade Office there and underlined the growing importance of the UK-Taiwan trade and investment relationship. Taiwan offers opportunities for UK businesses in a number of sectors, which was highlighted during last autumn’s UK-Taiwan trade talks, including education, science and innovation. Further proof of this is the number of UK firms that are present in Taiwan. We are constantly reviewing suitable markets to identify where the appointment of a Trade Envoy can be of greatest benefit to the trade and investment aims of the UK, with the Prime Minister making the final decision. There are no plans to appoint a Trade Envoy to Northern Cyprus.

Arms Trade: Export Controls

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government why moral considerations are not included in the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria used to assess arms export licence applications.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The Consolidated Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework and require us to consider the possible impact of providing equipment and its capabilities. HM Government will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Overseas Aid: Females

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether particular support will be offered through Official Development Assistance spending to women in developing countries affected by climate change to help protect the environment; and what plans they have to address this issue at COP26.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government remains committed to helping developing countries tackle climate change. We are doubling our International Climate Finance (ICF) to £11.6 billion over the next five years, of which at least £3 billion will be invested to protect and restore nature and biodiversity. Climate change disproportionately affects women and girls, and gender equality is a required consideration for ICF, as for all Official Development Assistance.The UK is committed to hosting an inclusive COP. As part of our COP26 Presidency, we are stepping up work to fulfil the UK's commitments under the Gender Action Plan agreed at COP25, including by implementing gender-responsive domestic climate policies.

Overseas Aid

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the reduction in Official Development Assistance spending will affect funding for (1) climate change, (2) poverty eradication, (3) tackling disease, and (4) conflict; and whether these issues will be raised when the UK hosts (a) COP26, and (b) the G7 summit.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Foreign Secretary has set out seven core priorities for the UK's aid budget in the overarching pursuit of poverty reduction: climate and biodiversity; Covid and global health security; girls' education; science and research; defending open societies and resolving conflict; humanitarian assistance; and promoting trade and economic growth. We are working through our internal business planning process which will allocate the ODA budget across these priorities and geographies. While final decisions on ODA allocations for 2021/22 have not yet been made, we will honour our commitment to spend £11.6 billion on climate change over the next 5 years.

Sri Lanka: War Crimes

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they were aware that the UN Human Rights Council was putting together a report on alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka between 1 January and 18 May 2009.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK government has not received a request from any UN Human Rights Council mechanism for copies of despatches written by the former defence attaché Lieutenant Colonel Gash, and has no plans to provide any.

Sri Lanka: War Crimes

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 16 February (HL13011), what plans they have to supply the UN Human Rights Council with a copy of the despatches written by Lieutenant Colonel Gash, the former defence attaché of the British High Commission in Sri Lanka about events in that country between 1 January and 18 May 2009 relating to the civil war.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK government has not received a request from any UN Human Rights Council mechanism for copies of despatches written by the former defence attaché Lieutenant Colonel Gash, and has no plans to provide any.

Myanmar: Sanctions

The Lord Bishop of Worcester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to imposing targeted sanctions against those responsible for the military coup in Myanmar.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is looking at a range of measures to ensure the democratic wishes of the people of Myanmar are respected. On 25 February, we announced sanctions against six members of the military responsible for their role in serious human rights violations during the coup. This is in addition to the action taken with Canada on 18 February to impose asset freezes and travel bans against three members of the Myanmar military regime. Prior to this, the UK had already imposed targeted sanctions on 16 individuals responsible for human rights violations in Myanmar. This includes the Commander-in-Chief and his Deputy.The military's influence is pervasive across Myanmar's economy and we have long been clear that Myanmar needs responsible investors. Her Majesty's Government works closely with UK businesses to ensure that they conduct thorough due diligence to try and avoid exposure to military businesses. We will continue to work closely with international partners on next steps, this includes exploring further sanctions.

Ethiopia: Humanitarian Aid

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have takento ensure that aid workers are permitted(1) to deliver humanitarian aid, and (2) to assess the needs of the population, in Ethiopia.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK remains deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Tigray and has been consistent in calling for free and unfettered humanitarian access. The Foreign Secretary raised the need for humanitarian access to Tigray with Prime Minister Abiy during his recent visit to Ethiopia and pressed for a political dialogue to bring lasting peace to the region. The Minister for Africa re-enforced the urgency of the need for humanitarian access when he spoke with the Ethiopian Ambassador on 24 February. The UN estimates that up to 1.3 million people affected by the conflict need humanitarian assistance, though the lack of free and sustained access makes it extremely challenging to determine the actual impact of the conflict on civilians - an estimated 80% of Tigray region remains beyond the reach of relief agencies.The UK is working closely with humanitarian and development agencies to make sure aid reaches civilians affected by the fighting. UK-funded aid agencies in Tigray are working hard to deliver support in challenging circumstances, including food, shelter, water and healthcare. The Foreign Secretary visited Gondar, the site of a humanitarian hub in the neighbouring Amhara region on 22 January. He heard how £11.4m of UK Aid is supporting the World Food Programme and NGOs to ensure the delivery of aid to those affected by the conflict.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Lord Darzi of Denham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of cases of detainment without charge by the government of Myanmar; and what representations they have made to the government of Myanmar to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is deeply concerned by the arbitrary detention of democratically elected politicians, civil society, protesters and foreign nationals. We secured a strong statement from the G7 immediately after the coup condemning the actions of the military. We worked with partners at the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council to ensure that there was a strong coordinated message from the international community about the actions of the military. The Security Council was clear that all those detained arbitrarily should be released. We have also summoned the Myanmar Ambassador twice and stressed that those in arbitrary detention must be released and to seek assurances as to the wellbeing of those detained, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

Israel: Palestinians

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to thePresident of the United States to support the resumption of direct talks between the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK works closely with the US on matters relating to the Middle East Peace Process and we will continue to work closely with the US Administration, as we would normally do, on a variety of issues.Only the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority can determine the needs and aspirations of their people. However, we have encouraged them to resume cooperation and work towards further dialogue. Peace will only come through negotiations between the parties, but international action has a role in facilitating progress. Meanwhile, the parties should do all they can to reverse the negative trends - including systematic settlement expansion and demolitions in the West Bank, violence and incitement, and the dire situation in Gaza.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all UN-authorised crossings into Syria are reopened permanently for the safe entry of humanitarian goods; and whom they plan to consult on this matter.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK regularly raises the issue of UN-mandated crossborder access, including most recently on 25 February, at the UN Security Council. We continue to use our position at the UN Security Council and in bilateral discussions, informed by regular consultation with UN agencies, United Nations Under-SecretaryGeneral for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock, human rights organisations and others, to push for greater aid access into Syria and to urge renewal of Resolution 2533.We are appalled that Russia, backed by China, has twice sought to block cross-border aid access into Syria, placing political support for the Assad regime above lifesaving support for the Syrian people. The UK remains committed to the delivery of aid to those most in need in Syria, through all mechanisms. We strongly support the renewal of UNSCR 2533 and are urging members of the UN Security Council to vote in favour of renewing the resolution to avoid further humanitarian disaster.

Iraq: Kurds

Lord Austin of Dudley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofwho is responsible for therocket attacks in Erbil on 15 February.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government of Iraq (GoI) and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) are urgently investigating circumstances around the rocket attacks in the vicinity of Erbil Airport on 15 February. Although publicly claimed by a militia group called Awliya al-Dam (Guardians of the Blood), investigations are still ongoing. The UK has committed along with the US, France, Germany, and Italy to support the GoI's and KRG's efforts, with a view to holding accountable those responsible.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Correspondence

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in response to the letter from the Britain-Palestine All-Party Parliamentary Group to the Foreign Secretary on 8 February about the eviction of Palestinians in East Jerusalem by Israeli settler organisations.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We note the letter sent by the Britain-Palestine All-Party Parliamentary Group to the Foreign Secretary on 8 February. We regularly make clear our concerns about the evictions of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem to the Israeli authorities and the Municipality of Jerusalem, both bilaterally and in co-operation with like-minded diplomatic partners. The Fourth Geneva Convention, which applies to all occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, prohibits demolitions or forced evictions absent military necessity. The Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa raised the issue of evictions of Palestinians from their homes, with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 29 October 2020, and the British Embassy in Tel Aviv raises this issue regularly with the Israeli authorities. UK officials from the British Consulate in Jerusalem have made regular visits to areas at risk of demolition and eviction to reiterate UK support for those communities. On 25 November 2020, the UK Consul General Jerusalem visited families at risk of eviction in Sheikh Jarrah, restating UK opposition to evictions of Palestinians from their homes.The UK is focused on preventing demolitions and evictions from happening in the first place through our legal aid programme, which supports Bedouin communities and Palestinians facing demolition or home eviction in both the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes.

Overseas Students: Scholarships

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries require their nationals to seek domestic approval before they can apply for Chevening and Commonwealth scholarships.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There are no arrangements in place with foreign governments which require candidates to seek approval to apply for Chevening scholarships. Nominations for some of the awards that the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission (CSC) funds are made by national agencies. In most cases these are government departments, which ensures that national development priorities are reflected in the candidate selection. Final decisions for all scholarship awards are made by the CSC Commissioners.

African Union: Diplomatic Relations

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what diplomatic engagement they have with the African Union.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK's strategic approach to Africa is closely aligned with the African Union's (AU) 'Agenda 2063' that sets out the framework and objectives for the AU's work. We work closely with the AU on peace and security issues, trade, health, and climate issues. The AU leads on the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), mediation efforts in Sudan and supports security in the Sahel. The AU is a champion of continental trade, as shown by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) under which trading began on 1 January 2021. We are investing up to £20 million in the AU's COVID-19 Response Fund and worked closely with the AU on the development of their Green Recovery Action Plan to ensure Africa builds back sustainably from the pandemic.The Minister for Africa underlined the importance of the UK-AU partnership when he met Chairperson Faki at the Ghanaian Presidential inauguration in January 2021. HM Ambassador Dr Alastair McPhail CMG OBE is the UK's Permanent Representative to the African Union and the Deputy Permanent Representative holds Ambassadorial rank. They are supported by an extensive team working across the Africa Strategy objectives to further the UK-AU Strategic Partnership.

Overseas Students: Scholarships

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students from African countries attending UK universities receive scholarships other than Chevening or Commonwealth scholarships.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Students from Africa can seek funding to support study at UK universities through a number of routes, including scholarships offered by charities, private organisations and the universities themselves. We do not hold data on the number of scholarships offered through other organisations, however, Chevening and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission are currently funding 484 and 488 scholars from Africa respectively.

African Union

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 programme.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK's strategic approach to Africa is closely aligned with the African Union's (AU) 'Agenda 2063' that sets out the framework and objectives for the AU's work. We work closely with the AU on peace and security issues, trade, health, and climate issues. The AU leads on the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), mediation efforts in Sudan and supports security in the Sahel. The AU is a champion of continental trade, as shown by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) under which trading began on 1 January 2021. We are investing up to £20 million in the AU's COVID-19 Response Fund and worked closely with the AU on the development of their Green Recovery Action Plan to ensure Africa builds back sustainably from the pandemic.The Minister for Africa underlined the importance of the UK-AU partnership when he met Chairperson Faki at the Ghanaian Presidential inauguration in January 2021. HM Ambassador Dr Alastair McPhail CMG OBE is the UK's Permanent Representative to the African Union and the Deputy Permanent Representative holds Ambassadorial rank. They are supported by an extensive team working across the Africa Strategy objectives to further the UK-AU Strategic Partnership.

Nagorno Karabakh: Armed Conflict

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made tothe government of Azerbaijan about reports thatAzerbaijani forces (1) have treated captured ethnic Armenian troops inhumanely, and (2) used cluster munitions and artillery rockets, in the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government is deeply concerned by allegations that cluster munitions and artillery rockets were used by both sides during the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and that prisoners of war have been subjected to cruel, degrading or inhuman treatment. During her recent visits to Armenia and Azerbaijan the Minister for the European Neighbourhood and the Americas urged both parties to ensure thorough investigations into all allegations, and welcomed those Azerbaijani investigations already underway.

Overseas Aid: Family Planning and Genito-urinary Medicine

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the reduction in Official Development Assistance spending will affect funding for (1) family planning, or (2) sexual and reproductive health and rights; and if so, how.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is proud to defend comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights, including family planning; these are fundamental to the empowerment of girls and women.The Foreign Secretary has completed the cross-government review of how Official Development Assistance (ODA) will be allocated against the government's priorities for 2021. The aim is to ensure UK ODA is focused on strategic priorities, where it will have the maximum impact, enable greater coherence and deliver the most value for money. Officials are now working through the implications of these allocations. No decisions on individual sectoral budgets have been taken yet by Ministers.

Palestinians: Coronavirus

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines ordered by the Palestinian Authority are not prevented from entering Gaza by the government of Israel.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We welcome the steps that the parties have taken so far to coordinate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the news that on the 17 February the first shipment of vaccines from the Palestinian Authority was brought into Gaza, with the approval of Israel. We encourage further cooperation between the two parties in this regard. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate-General in Jerusalem regularly urge the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to take steps to improve health and economic conditions in Gaza. We will continue to monitor the availability of vaccines for Palestinians in Gaza and will raise with the relevant authorities accordingly.

Côte D'Ivoire: Politics and Government

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) economic, (2) humanitarian, and (3) political, situation in Cote d’Ivoire.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Côte d'Ivoire is one of the world's fastest growing economies, despite a slowdown in growth in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is listed as number 41 on the World Bank Index and its Annual Growth Rate was 6.2% in 2020. The UK Government is working with the Government of Côte d'Ivoire on the implementation of our Economic Partnership Agreement, signed in October 2020. The agreement will allow businesses to trade without any additional barriers or tariffs. The humanitarian situation in the country remains stable, but a large number of Ivoirians continue to live below the poverty line.In October 2020, thousands of Ivoirian refugees crossed into neighbouring countries following violence around the presidential elections. The UK Government condemned the electoral violence and supported Ivoirians' right to demonstrate and protest peacefully. The Minister for Africa issued statements on 30 October and 5 November 2020 urging all parties to refrain from spreading disinformation, hate messages and inciting violence. Alongside international partners, we called for genuine political dialogue between all parties in order to resolve outstanding differences and ensure peace and stability for all Ivoirians. The legislative elections on 6 March are on track to take place in a more inclusive environment, with ongoing political dialogue and participation by opposition parties.

Nagorno Karabakh: Humanitarian Aid

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports that authorisation from the government of Russia is now required for foreign nationals to enter the Nagorno-Karabakh region, what assessment they have made of the impact this will have on the delivery of humanitarian aid to that region.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government is aware of reports that Russian peacekeepers stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh are providing authorisation for those who wish to enter the region. Whilst we have not made an assessment on whether this will impact the delivery of humanitarian aid, during her recent visits to Baku and Yerevan the Minister for the European Neighbourhood and the Americas urged closer cooperation between Azerbaijan and Armenia with a view to ensuring that all humanitarian agencies were able to access the region to deliver aid.

Armenia: Churches

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the implementation of restrictions for Armenians to visit the Dadivank Monastery, what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan to ensure that Armenians are able to access sites of historical religious importance in areas returned to Azerbaijan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government has made no representations to the Government of Azerbaijan on this issue. However, we continue to urge both Governments to work with UNESCO to ensure the protection of all sites of historical and religious importance.

Nagorno Karabakh: Prisoners of War

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan about its failure to release prisoners of war from the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region;whetherthis and other ceasefire violations wereraised by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for European Neighbourhood on her recent visit to Baku; and if not, why not.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: During her recent visits to Armenia and Azerbaijan the Minister for the European Neighbourhood and the Americas underlined the importance of returning of all prisoners of war and urged both parties to work closely with the ICRC to expedite the returns where relevant. The Minister for the European Neighbourhood and the Americas also encouraged both sides to abide by the 10 November trilateral peace deal and settle all outstanding matters through talks under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group. The UK Government welcomes the most recent exchange of prisoners of war on 10 February.

British Overseas Territories: Maldives

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 15 February (HL12876) and the judgment by the Special Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on 28 January concerning the delimitation of a maritime boundary between the Exclusive Economic Zones of Mauritius and Maldives in the vicinity of the Chagos Archipelago, what assessment they have made of whether the UK and the Republic of the Maldives are also entitled to agree a delimitation of a maritime boundary between the UK (in respect of its claim to the British Indian Ocean Territory) and the Republic of the Maldives.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The judgment by the Special Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) was in relation to the delimitation of a maritime boundary claimed by Mauritius to exist between Mauritius and the Republic of Maldives in the Indian Ocean. The UK was not a party to those proceedings, which can have no effect for the UK or for maritime delimitation between the UK (in respect of the British Indian Ocean Territory) and Maldives.

Ministry of Defence

Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations

Lord De Mauley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) tomaintain, and (2) to increase volunteer (a) support, and (b) influence, in the work of the Reserve Forces' and Cadets Associations' under the proposed formation of a Non-Departmental Public Body.

Baroness Goldie: The 2019 Review of the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCAs) recognised the value that the RFCAs bring to Defence and that a key strength is their extensive volunteer membership and community links. In implementing the Review’s recommendations, the Ministry of Defence will look to both preserve and enhance the volunteer ethos, establishing a diverse and inclusive organisation. This includes interim changes to the Schemes of Association to ensure alignment with Equality and Discrimination legislation and to better enable the RFCAs to attract wider talent that is representative of the communities in which they work.

Type 26 Frigates: Procurement

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Prime Minister on 19 November 2020 that they are “taking forward … plans for eight Type 26 and five Type 31 frigates, and support ships to supply our carriers” (HC Deb, col 488), why they have not yet ordered the remaining planned Type 26 frigates.

Baroness Goldie: I refer the noble Lord to the reply I gave him on 16 December 2020, in response to Question HL11193.HL11193 - Type 26 Frigates (docx, 14.2KB)

Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations

Baroness Garden of Frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Ministry of Defence'sReview of the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations 2019, published on 24 March 2020, what plans they have to increase volunteer support for the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets Associations under the proposed formation of a Non-Departmental Public Body.

Baroness Goldie: The 2019 Review of the Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations (RFCAs) recognises that a key strength of the RFCAs is their extensive volunteer membership, which brings with it a breadth of expertise and community links.Through the establishment of a Non-Departmental Public Body, The Ministry of Defence will look to both preserve and enhance the volunteer ethos, establishing a diverse and inclusive organisation representative of the communities in which they serve, enabled by a vibrant and active volunteer cohort.

Department for Work and Pensions

War Pensions: Social Security Benefits

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the War Disablement Pension is disregarded in its entirety when calculating entitlement to social security benefits.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: In the calculation of Universal Credit, War Disablement Pension is disregarded in its entirety. In the calculation of the legacy income-related benefits administered by the Department which Universal Credit is replacing (Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income-related Employment & Support Allowance), there is a weekly disregard of £10. A similar £10 weekly disregard also applies in State Pension Credit. With regards to Housing Benefit, regulations permit local authorities to disregard beyond the standard disregard amount of £10 a week, the whole or part of the War Disablement Pension.

Universal Credit: Deductions

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, how many Universal Credit claimants in each parliamentary constituency have had money deducted; and what was (1) the average size of the amount deducted, (2) the total amount deducted, and (3) the proportion of each sum deducted to repay advance payments.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: From 3rd April 2020, deductions from Universal Credit for some government debt, such as Tax Credits, benefit overpayments and Social Fund Loans were suspended for 3 months. This was done to ease the financial pressure of debt recovery on benefit claimants and to also allow Debt Management staff to be re-deployed to focus on the unprecedented volume of new claims received during the Covid-19 pandemic. Universal Credit advance repayments are made gradually over 12 months, and deductions are capped at 30 per cent of a claimant’s standard allowance. This is further to the reduction of the overall maximum level of deductions from 40 per cent to 30 per cent of the standard allowance since October 2019. From October 2021, the repayment period will be extended from 12 months to 24 months and the deductions cap will be reduced from 30 per cent to 25 per cent. For those who find themselves in unexpected hardship, advance repayments can be deferred for up to three months in certain cases. The requested information surrounding deductions to Universal Credit payments by parliamentary constituency is shown in the attached table.Table one (xlsx, 56.2KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: UK Trade with EU

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what compensation is available for perishable foods in just-in-time supply chains which have been delayed at the EU border and had to be destroyed as a result.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Seafood Disruption Support Scheme provided support to seafood businesses exporting highly perishable fresh and live seafood which lost value or were destroyed as a result of export delays in January. The scheme closed on 28 February. The Marine Management Organisation is assessing claims and will make payments during March. We are working closely with traders to identify and unblock issues as quickly as possible to avoid the need for disposal.

UK Trade with EU

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to digitise export health certificates and other customs documents required for exporting goods to the EU.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Export Health Certificate Online (EHC Online) service is currently live with digitised forms covering all EU exports and currently covering just over 80% of rest of the world trade. To date, in excess of 130,000 EHC's have been applied for on the service and the system is working well.

Fisheries: Quotas

Lord Krebs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their strategy for reducing quotas if fish stocks fall below their maximum sustainable yield.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Scientific advice indicating that fish stocks have fallen below their maximum sustainable yield will inform the UK’s positions in annual negotiations to determine the total allowable catches (TACs). In addition, a key part of our approach to rebuilding the health of depleted stocks is improving selectivity in mixed fisheries. The on-going development of Fisheries Management Plans will also assist in addressing such issues and inform the TAC-setting process moving forward. Fisheries Management Plans require assessments of the health of fish stocks and policies to restore and/or maintain stocks at levels capable of supporting sustainable harvesting. Where appropriate, they will set out actions to improve data collection and ways to establish sustainable harvest rates.

Food: UK Trade with EU

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated timetable for producing electronic certification to replace paper documentation for foodstuffs being exported from the UK to the EU.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The majority of export health certificates have been digitised so can be completed online and they are now hosted on EHC Online, replacing the manual process that was previously required to request and certify a certificate. Further progress in the digitisation of EHCs will be made later this year with electronic signatures and the removal of Crown Gold paper being phased within EHC Online. As part of the broader strategy for 2025, we want to work towards full end to end development of electronic signatures and certificates, including the exchange of these with trading partners' IT systems.

Bivalve Molluscs: UK Trade with EU

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answerby Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 17 February (HL12930), whether they will place a copy of the correspondence between the Department and the European Commission in the Library of the House.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: A copy of the correspondence between the Department and the European Commission has been deposited and has been available to Members since 17 February.

Food: UK Trade with EU

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the required official veterinarians have been recruited to ensure that food standards border checks on products of animal origin can be maintained.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: When the next phase of border controls start from 1 April 2021, Defra estimates that we will have 100% of the required OVs in place.Defra has provided £14m funding to local authorities in England to support Port Health Authorities (PHAs) with the recruitment and training of over 500 new staff, including Official Veterinarians, to conduct the new checks on EU imports of animal products, including physical checks. The readiness team in DEFRA continue to engage regularly with all PHAs who have received funding to provided support on isolated challenges and ensure that this funding is used as effectively as possible.

Borders: Facilities

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the use of Special Development Orders to give planning permission for inland border facilities in England meets their obligations under (1) the Aarhus Convention, and (2) the Kiev Protocol, to provide environmental information to the public.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Special Development Orders (SDOs) respect the public’s access to environmental information under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIRs). Information requests on SDOs and building the new facilities are likely to come within scope of the EIRs, as would most construction-related issues. This applies to requests and proactive disclosure. The use of SDOs is provided for under The Town and Country Planning (Border Facilities and Infrastructure) (EU Exit) (England) Special Development Order 2020. There is a provision in the Order for proactive disclosure of information to, and engagement with, a number of interested parties. The Order does not disapply measures such as EIRs or Freedom of Information Act that implement our Aarhus Convention obligations with regards access to information. Most requests for information on planning will fall within the scope of the EIRs, and thus the relevant parts of Aarhus: Articles 2, 4, 5 and 9. These are the definition of environmental information, handling requests for environmental information, proactive publication of environmental information, and the appeals process where the requester is not content with the response from the public authority. There are two main routes for the information generated to be covered by the definition in regulation 2(1) of the EIRs: The planning rules (and any adjustment to them through this Order) are measures and legislation under regulation 2(1)(c) that will impact upon the land and landscape under regulation 2(1)(a). Implementing the order will result in building works; breaking the ground for the new building, digging up the road to extend infrastructure, destruction of habitats, and the generation of waste and emissions. Other elements of the environment, such as air, water and biological diversity, may also be affected by the works permitted by the Order. The second route is more direct: the construction works will be an activity under regulation 2(1)(c) that affect the land, landscape and the other elements of the environment in regulation 2(1)(a), as in point 1 above. The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)) Regulations 2017(8) state that EIA developments (which are not subjected to the SDO orders rules) must be subjected to an EIA. This must be submitted before the relevant planning authority, the Secretary of State or an inspector in order to grant planning permission. The EIA and screening procedures determine whether the development is likely to have significant environmental effects, along with the Environmental Statement applications. These are accompanied by publicity requirements such as public consultations and publication of environmental information prior to the decision of the relevant authority.Finally, the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) is an inventory of pollution from industrial sites and other sources, and the Kiev Protocol requires that this information is publicly accessible. The UK maintains a publicly accessible national PRTR that enables the public to have access to environmental information concerning the activities listed in Annex 1 of the Protocol.The UK remains committed to the objectives of the PRTR, both domestically and internationally, and continues to monitor its implementation of the Protocol.

Peat Bogs: North of England

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Great North Bog Initiative.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government is committed to the restoration and sustainable management of England's peat. England's peatlands store around 580 million tonnes of carbon but are emitting around 9.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents per year. Restoration, through initiatives such as the Great North Bog, is a crucial tool in combating climate change and achieving the Government's aim to reach net zero emissions by 2050.We have engaged with the development of the Great North Bog from an early stage. Restoration of these habitats can achieve multiple natural capital benefits, including havens for rare wildlife and flood protection. We have already invested a significant amount of our early Nature for Climate funding in peatland restoration projects in Great North Bog areas, including the Yorkshire Dales, Peak District and the North Pennines AONB.

Specialised Committee on Fisheries

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the Specialised Committee on Fisheries to be established under the provisions of the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: • The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement provides for a number of Specialised Committees which sit underneath the Partnership Council. The Specialised Committee on Fisheries will provide a forum for discussion and co-operation in relation to sustainable fisheries management.• Until the TCA has been ratified in European parliament, the Partnership Council and Specialised Committees will not become operational. The membership and administration of the Partnership Council and the supporting Specialised Committees is being worked through at a UK level in anticipation of ratification.

Home Office

Medomsley Detention Centre

Baroness Hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for (1) the future use, and (2) the occupancy, ofthe former Hassockfield Detention Centre in Medomsley; and when these plans will be taken forward.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The immigration removal estate is kept under ongoing review to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient capacity, in the right places and that it provides value for money.The Home Office has acquired the former Hassockfield Secure Training Centre in County Durham and will open it as an immigration removal centre for women by the autumn. Initial discussions with the planning authority have taken place and work has commenced at the site. An Equality Impact Assessment will be completed as part of this programme of work.In order to meet operational needs and demands we will continue to operate the immigration removal estate in a flexible manner.

Aviation: Coronavirus

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the requirement for additional border checks for passengers entering the UK from ‘red list’ countries on queues at (1) Heathrow airport, and (2) other airports; and what plans they have to increase the number of Border Force officers on duty dealing with passenger border checks in order to improve people’s ability to maintain social distancing.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We will never compromise on border security and continue to fill our vital function of keeping the border secure and are deploying additional officers to provide support as and when required. Border Force officers have played a vital role during this pandemic.There is extensive signage throughout the airport – including in immigration halls – reminding passengers to adhere to the Government’s social distancing guidance, but there are points in the airport journey where social distancing is not always possible. Border Force officials implement social distancing as an effective control measure.  Every airport, including Heathrow, has a responsibility to comply with social distancing and Covid measures on site.

Police: Internet

Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government which police forces in England and Wales have implemented Single Online Home websites; and what assessment they have made of the impact of these websites on providing the public with a consistent way of (1) engaging with their local police force, and (2) accessing police services online.

Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect all police forces in England and Wales to have implemented Single Online Home websites.

Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect all police forces in England and Wales to have implemented Single Online Home websites.

Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they used to decide the order in which police forces in England and Wales were given permission to implement Single Online Home websites.

Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they used to decide the order in which police forces in England and Wales were given permission to implement Single Online Home websites.

Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the scope of Single Online Home websites to provide easy access to available support for victims of crime.

Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the scope of Single Online Home websites to provide easy access to available support for victims of crime.

Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the national governance arrangements for Single Online Home.

Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the national governance arrangements for Single Online Home.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: 27 forces are currently live on the Single Online Home (SOH):EnglandCheshireCity of London PoliceClevelandDerbyshireEssexGloucestershireGreater Manchester PoliceHampshireKentLeicestershireLincolnshireMerseysideMetropolitan Police ServiceNorthamptonshireStaffordshireSurreySussexThames Valley PoliceWarwickshireWest MerciaWest MidlandsWiltshireNorth YorkshireWales24. Dyfed Powys25. Gwent26. North Wales27. South Wales Additionally, British Transport Police is also on the Single Online Home.The Programme is regularly assessed by the Home Office for performance and assurance purposes. Through the 27 forces currently on Single Online Home, online services are available to 61% of the population in England and Wales. The platform has recorded just under 2.9 million visitors and 175,450 online reports in January 2021. In the same month, just under 418,000 visitors were redirected to relevant third-party services, providing a better service for the public to support their queries and reducing non-police demand on police forces. In a survey of users, the Single Online Home was shown to be a preferred way of contacting the police (76%) as a more relevant and convenient mean to meet the needs of the public.All 43 forces in England and Wales have committed to onboarding the Single Online Home. Up to 10 forces will join in 2021/22 and it is expected that all forces will be on the platform by the end of March 2023.Forces are not mandated to join the Single Online Home, but as an NPCC national programme the expectation is that all 43 forces in England and Wales will join the platform. The onboarding schedule was developed between the Digital Public Contact (DPC) Programme and forces via Statements of Intent where forces provided their commitment to join and what dates worked for them. This enabled forces to factor in other local change initiatives and resource constraints and the Programme to plan for working with different force infrastructures and developing technical fixes to ensure connectivity.The Single Online Home already provides services to support victims in reporting crime incidents online. This includes a Domestic Abuse online reporting pilot which was launched in October last year. Designed in consultation with forces, ACC Louisa Rolfe, the NPCC Domestic Abuse Lead, and external charities, the service is victim focused and provides victims with a discrete reporting mechanism to access the support they need at a time when Covid-19 presents heightened risk. Following its success, it will now be rolled out nationally from May 2021. A pilot service of Sarah’s Law (child sex offender disclosure scheme) also went live with 6 forces on 23 February 2021 ahead of national rollout while other services due to be developed and piloted in 2021/22 include reporting of Anti-Social Behaviour, rape and sexual assaults, and bribery and corruption.Governance is overseen by the Home Office’s Strategic Change and Investment Board (SCIB) and reporting is provided by the Digital Public Contact Programme.

Forced Marriage

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 in dealing with the issue of forced marriage.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK is a world-leader in the fight to end the practice of forced marriage, with our dedicated Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) leading efforts to combat it both at home and abroad.The Government made forced marriage a criminal offence under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to better protect victims and send a clear message that this practice is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the UK. That Act also makes it a criminal offence to breach a Forced Marriage Protection Order, and provides anonymity for victims of forced marriage.Those provisions sit as part of the Government’s wider approach to tackling forced marriage. We are committed to ensuring that professionals understand that forced marriage is a criminal offence and have the training and guidance they need to provide effective advice and support on this issue. The Government has published statutory multi-agency guidance and made available free e-learning to help professionals to recognise the warning signs and ensure that the right action is taken to help protect those at risk. The FMU also provides regular training on forced marriage to police officers and social workers.In 2019 the FMU provided advice or support in 1,355 cases related to a possible forced marriage. Over 2,600 Forced Marriage Protection Orders have also been issued since they were introduced.

Medomsley Detention Centre

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to open an immigration removal centre for women on the site of the former Hassockfield Detention Centre in Medomsley; and what plans they have to expand the use of engagement-focused alternatives to detention to resolve women’s immigration centres in the community.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The immigration removal estate is kept under ongoing review to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient capacity, in the right places and that it provides value for money.The Home Office has acquired the former Hassockfield Secure Training Centre in County Durham and will open it as an immigration removal centre for women by the autumn. Initial discussions with the planning authority have taken place and work has commenced at the site. An Equality Impact Assessment will be completed as part of this programme of work.Now in its second year, the Action Access pilot has provided women who would otherwise be detained with a programme of support in the community, including case management support. We are working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and they have appointed the National Centre for Social Research to independently evaluate this work, once the pilot concludes in March 2021. The evaluation is scheduled for publication in June 2021. We will use the evaluation to inform our future approach to case-management focused alternatives to detention.In order to meet operational needs and demands we will continue to operate the immigration removal estate in a flexible manner.

Undocumented Migrants: EU Nationals

Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatmeasures are in place to identify EU citizens in the UK who overstaytheir visas.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: EU migrants whose visas expire will be identified and treated in the same way as any other overstayers.

Forced Marriage

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were (1) charged, and (2) convicted, with (a) forcing someone to marry, and (b) breaching a forced marriage protection order, under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, in (i) 2016, (ii) 2017, (iii) 2018, (iv) 2019, and (v) 2020.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home office does not hold information on the number of people that were charged with forced marriage offences or breaching a forced marriage protection order.The number of convictions for forced marriage offences is held by the Ministry of Justice.The number of convictions for offences relating to forced marriage and breaching forced marriage protection orders for calendar years 2016-2019 can be found in the table below.Found Guilty201620172018201936.1 Forced marriage003066.6 Breach of a forced marriage protection order5142Data for 2020 is due to be published in May 2021.The figures given in the table relate to defendants for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

Visas: EU Countries

Baroness Hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis they are not extending the £55 fee discount for a UK work visa to five EU member states.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK has long standing arrangements in its legislation for the nationals of countries which have signed and ratified the 1961 Council of Europe’s Social Charter (CESC) to qualify for a fee reduction for visa applications to come to work in the UK.It is only with the end of free movement this legal obligation is now relevant to those EU countries which have ratified the 1961 Council of Europe Charter. The reduction is therefore only available to nationals of countries which have ratified the 1961 Charter, whether or not those countries are EU countries.The UK’s legal obligations in relation to this matter relate to the implementation of the Council of Europe treaty, and do not arise from the UK’s former relationship with the EU or the TCA.

Modern Slavery Act 2015

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Modern Slavery Act 2015; and what action, if any, they are taking as a result of any such assessment.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK is regarded as a world-leader for its response to modern slavery. The UK response is underpinned by the Modern Slavery Strategy 2014 and the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the first legislation of its kind.In July 2018, the Government commissioned an Independent Review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 led by Baroness Butler-Sloss, the then Rt. Hon. Frank Field and the Rt. Hon. Maria Miller MP. The Review considered where the Act is working well and where implementation can be strengthened. The final Review made 80 recommendations across four themes:The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner;Transparency in Supply Chains;Independent Child Trafficking Guardians (renamed from Independent Child Trafficking Advocates in line with the recommendations of the Independent Review);Legal application of the Modern Slavery Act.The Government response to the Independent Review was published on 9 July 2019, accepting or partially accepting the majority of the Review’s recommendations.Key work that we have taken forward in response to the Independent Review includes:In October 2019 we appointed a HMG Modern Slavery and Migration Envoy to drive forward global progress.Following a public consultation, the Government committed on 22 September 2020 to taking forward an ambitious package of changes to strengthen and future-proof the Modern Slavery Act’s transparency legislation including extending the reporting requirement to public bodies with a budget of £36 million or more.In January 2021, the Government announced plans to introduce financial penalties for organisations who fail to meet their statutory obligations to publish annual modern slavery statements under the Modern Slavery Act 2015. These measures require legislative change and will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.Creating a free online central reporting service for businesses’ modern slavery statements, to make it easier for consumers, NGOs and investors to scrutinise the action that businesses are taking to prevent modern slavery in their supply chains. We are at the final stages of work to launch this service.Work to further roll out Independent Child Trafficking Guardians which will continue to be informed by the Independent Review recommendations.We have put in place a MoU between the Home Office and the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner to clarify roles and responsibilities.

European Convention on Human Rights

Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the decision by the European Court of Human Rights on 16 February that the UK was in violation of Articles 4 and 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, what steps they are taking to prevent further such breaches in future.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government is committed to tackling the heinous crime of modern slavery and ensuring that victims are provided with the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives. In 2015, we introduced the landmark Modern Slavery Act, giving law enforcement agencies the tools to tackle modern slavery, including maximum life sentences for perpetrators and enhanced protection for victims. The Act also introduced the statutory defence (Section 45) for victims of modern slavery to protect vulnerable people from being prosecuted for crimes they were forced to commit by their exploiter.In relation to the case of VCL and AN vs the United Kingdom, which relates to the position prior to the enactment of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the Government is carefully considering the Court’s judgment.

Cabinet Office

G7: Cornwall

Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what mechanism they plan to use to off-set the carbon footprint of the G7 conference in Cornwall; and what plans they have to apply those off-sets in Cornwall.

Lord True: The Cabinet Office is currently investigating a baseline estimate for carbon emissions for the G7 Summit. We are committed to ensuring that as much as is practical will be offset in Cornwall. We are also in discussions with partners across Cornwall to consider plans on how to apply those offsets for example looking at biodiversity recovery, sustainable travel, tree planting and other options.

Redundancy: South Yorkshire

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government howmany jobs have been lost in each parliamentary constituency inSouth Yorkshire in the current financial year to date.

Lord True: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician The Lord ScrivenHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW 26 February 2021 Dear Lord Scriven, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many jobs have been lost in each parliamentary constituency in South Yorkshire in the current financial year to date (HL13503). The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces labour market statistics for small areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS), which is a survey of people resident in households in the UK. The APS cannot be used to measure the number of people who have lost their jobs, but instead can provide estimates of how the size of the workforce has changed over time. The survey provides level estimates for 12-month periods, based on interviews taking place throughout that time. Comparisons should only be made between non-overlapping survey periods. Table 1 below shows the employment levels for the 12-month period ending September 2020, the latest available period, and the previous non-overlapping period for the 12-months ending September 2019, along with the net change between the two periods, for each parliamentary constituency in South Yorkshire. Estimates from the APS are from a sample survey and as such are subject to a certain level of uncertainty.  Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian Diamond Table 1: Number of people in employment for the 12 month periods ending September 2019 and September 2020, and net change between the 2 periods, in Parliamentary Constituencies in South Yorkshire   ThousandsParliamentary ConstituencyGeocodeOct 2018-Sep 2019Oct 2019-Sep 2020Net changeBarnsley CentralE140005414541-4Barnsley EastE140005424442-2Don ValleyE1400066746471Doncaster CentralE1400066848480Doncaster NorthE1400066944451Penistone and StocksbridgeE1400087650512Rother ValleyE1400090341476RotherhamE140009044140-1Sheffield CentralE1400091963640Sheffield South EastE1400092041454Sheffield, Brightside and HillsboroughE140009214442-2Sheffield, HallamE1400092259634Sheffield, HeeleyE140009235249-3Wentworth and DearneE140010284441-3South YorkshireE110000036626654Source: ONS

Labour Party and Liberal Democrats: Peers

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord True on 11 February (HL12711), whatis their assessment of the equivalent figures for (1) the Labour, and (2) the Liberal Democrat, Party when following a similar methodology to the one used to determine underrepresentation of the Conservative Party in the House of Lords.

Lord True: Based on that methodology, my assessment is that the Liberal Democrat Party, in particular, is significantly over-represented in the House of Lords.

Coronavirus: Care Homes

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government whenthey first started to collectdata on care home deaths from COVID-19 in England.

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they first published the weekly death toll of care home residents from COVID-19 in England.

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they first published the weekly death toll of care home residents from COVID-19 in England.

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many care home residents in England died from COVID-19-related symptoms in each week from 1 September 2020 to date.

Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many care home residents in England died from COVID-19-related symptoms in each week from 1 September 2020 to date.

Lord True: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician The Lord Willis of Knaresborough House of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW01 March 2021 Dear Lord Willis,As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions asking a) when data was first collected on care home deaths from COVID-19 in England (HL13542), b) when the weekly death toll of care home residents from COVID-19 in England was first published (HL13543), and c) how many care home residents in England died from COVID-19-related symptoms in each week from 1 September 2020 to-date (HL13546).The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing statistics on deaths in England and Wales. Mortality statistics are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration. The ONS produces a weekly report[1] on provisional deaths involving COVID-19, and from 19 January 2021 onwards it has included data on deaths involving COVID-19 in care home residents in England and Wales in 2020 and 20212. The term "care home resident" used in this publication refers to all deaths where either (a) the death occurred in a care home or (b) the death occurred elsewhere but the place of residence of the deceased was recorded as a care home. The figures should not be confused with "deaths in care homes" as reported elsewhere, which refers only to category (a).As well as the ONS mortality data, the Care Quality Commission (CQC; the independent regulator of health and social care in England) provides numbers of deaths involving COVID-19 in care homes and care home residents in England. These data are based on the date the death was notified to the CQC and has been published by the ONS as part of the weekly bulletin3 since 28 April 2020. Data on whether the death was a result of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 has been collected by the CQC since 10 April 20204. Table 1 below shows the number of deaths involving COVID-19 in care home residents, by week of notification to the CQC, starting from week ending 4 September 2020. Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian DiamondTable 1: Number of deaths involving COVID-19 in care homes residents, by week of notification, weeks ending 4 September 2020 to 19 February 2021, England[2][3][4] YearWeek numberWeek endingDeaths involving COVID-1920203604/09/20202120203711/09/20203920203818/09/20204920203925/09/20205820204002/10/20208320204109/10/202010520204216/10/202014220204323/10/202021720204430/10/202029320204506/11/202045620204613/11/202053320204720/11/202062220204827/11/202070620204904/12/202064520205011/12/202069220205118/12/202073120205225/12/202074620205301/01/20219342021108/01/20211,2452021215/01/20211,7502021322/01/20212,3652021429/01/20212,3872021505/02/20211,8482021612/02/20211,2232021719/02/2021843Source: Care Quality Commission [1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/latest2https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/carehomeresidentdeathsregisteredinenglandandwalesprovisional3https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/numberofdeathsincarehomesnotifiedtothecarequalitycommissionengland4https://www.ons.gov.uk/news/statementsandletters/publicationofstatisticsondeathsinvolvingcovid19incarehomesinenglandtransparencystatement[2] Figures are for deaths CQC are notified of on the days specified. Figures only include deaths that were notified by 19 Feb 2021 and may be an underestimate due to notification delays.[3] Figures are for people who were residents of a care home, regardless of where the death occurred. This is different to deaths occurring in care homes reported elsewhere.[4]A death involving COVID-19 is based on the statement from the care home provider to the CQC: the assessment of whether COVID-19 was involved may or may not correspond to a medical diagnosis or test result or be reflected in the death certification

Treasury

Exchange Rates

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that a rapid and sustained rise in the value of the Pound could have on the UK’s economic recovery; and what assessment they have made of the need for intervention by the Bank of England in such cases.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The UK does not have an exchange rate target and the government does not have a desired level for sterling – the rate is set by the market. Currency markets move up and down and it would not be appropriate for the Treasury to speculate on the impact of currency moves on the real economy. Any impact would necessarily adjust over time and be sensitive to the broader economic and financial context. The independent Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England has responsibility for monetary policy. Its primary objective, set out in law, is to maintain price stability, defined as a symmetric inflation target of 2 per cent, as measured by the twelve month increase in the Consumer Prices Index. The separation of fiscal and monetary policy is a key feature of the UK’s economic framework, so the Government does not comment on the conduct or effectiveness of monetary policy. The pound currently sits 12% and 10% below the 10-year average exchange rate against the dollar and euro respectively.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Tourism: EU Countries

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that UK-based mountain tourism businesses can continue to employ UK nationals as tourist guides in the EU.

Baroness Barran: The Withdrawal Agreement protects UK nationals who live or are a frontier worker in an EU Member State at the end of the Transition Period. Those who have had a professional qualification recognised under the EU legislation listed in the Withdrawal Agreement will keep the right to practise the profession in the Member State in which they live or work. This includes many professions in scope of the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive such as engineering and accounting.As of 1 January 2021, UK-qualified professionals who wish to supply services in the EU should seek recognition for their qualifications using the national rules in EU Member States. Professionals should check the European Commission’s Regulated Professions Database to find out if their profession is regulated in the state in which they are seeking to work. They should then contact the single point of contact for that country to find out how to get their professional qualification recognised. Alternatively, they can seek advice from the UK Centre for Professional Qualifications (UK NARIC) to find out which regulatory or professional body they should contact.The UK-EU TCA provides a framework under which the UK and the EU may agree Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) on the recognition of professional qualification covering the UK and all 27 EU Member States. Once an arrangement is adopted under the TCA, UK professionals will be able to use the terms outlined in the arrangement to secure recognition for their professional qualifications within EU Member States.Arrangements are implemented on a profession-by-profession basis and depend upon reciprocal cooperation from both the UK and EU Member States. The framework enables UK and EU professional bodies or authorities to make recommendations on MRAs to the Partnership Council.  Once an arrangement has been adopted, a professional qualified in the UK (e.g. an engineer) will be able to use the terms outlined in the arrangement to secure recognition of their qualifications within an EU Member State.The Government continues to engage with stakeholders in the tourism sector to hear their priorities for the UK’s future relationship with the EU. Officials are currently engaging with the tourism trade bodies, including the British Association of International Mountain Leaders (BAIML) to gather feedback on priority regulators and qualifications for the tourism sector.

National Theatre: EU Countries

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the National Theatre's decision topostpone tours in the EUdue to uncertainty about work permits.

Baroness Barran: Touring in Europe is currently not possible due to Covid-19 and EU Member States have not set out plans for when it will be. We are working urgently with the UK’s creative industries to help ensure they can work confidently in Europe once touring can safely resume. In the meantime, we also urge EU member states to at least match what the UK offers to all EU artists touring here. The UK government strongly believes supporting touring is in the interests of both the UK and EU, and we continue our work on solutions.

Social Media: Racial Discrimination

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they plan to take to tackle racism on social media platforms.

Baroness Barran: Racism online is completely unacceptable in an open and tolerant society. We must do all we can to tackle it.The Government is committed to tackling racism, including the spread of racist content online. In December 2020, we published the full government response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation, which sets out new expectations on companies to keep their users safe online. Under a new legal duty of care, in-scope companies, including social media, will need to tackle illegal content and activity on their services and take swift and effective action against such material.Companies providing high-risk, high-reach services will also need to undertake regular assessments of the risk posed to adults by legal but harmful material on their services. These companies will need to set clear terms and conditions which explicitly state what categories of legal but harmful material they accept (and do not accept) on their service. Companies will need to enforce these terms and conditions consistently and transparently and could face enforcement action if they do not. The Online Safety Bill, which will give effect to the regulatory framework, will be ready this year.The full government response also set out plans to publish an Online Media Literacy Strategy. The Strategy will explore the existing media literacy landscape, and set out the Government’s plans to ensure a coordinated and strategic approach to media literacy education for all citizens. This will support users to make informed and safer decisions online, including taking action against online hate such as racism.

Gambling

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding of the study in the Nature Human Behaviour journal The association between gambling and financial, social and health outcomes in big financial data, published on 4 February, that increased gambling correlates with lower financial planning, missed mortgage payments, and increased bailiff interaction; and what assessment they have made of the potential for affordability checks in gambling to produce long-term secure financial outcomes for individuals.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding of the study in the Nature Human Behaviour journal The association between gambling and financial, social and health outcomes in big financial data, published on 4 February, that increased gambling is associated with lower levels of socialisation and spending on local amenities; and what assessment they have made of the impact of online gambling on the local economy.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding of the study in the Nature Human Behaviour journal The association between gambling and financial, social and health outcomes in big financial data, published on 4 February, that increased gambling is associated with lower levels of socialisation and spending on local amenities; and what assessment they have made of the impact of online gambling on the local economy.

Baroness Barran: The recently published study, ‘The association between gambling and financial, social and health outcomes in big financial data’, analysed banking transaction data and reported a correlation between higher rates of gambling spend as a proportion of outgoings and indicators of lower financial inclusion, wellbeing and healthiness. These correlations were generally strongest after the 75th percentile of spend levels. The analysis did not establish a causative link between gambling spend and the indicators identified.The analysis also demonstrated a correlation between higher gambling spend and reduced spending on other amenities and leisure activities. It did not distinguish between electronic transactions made to online operators, and those made in local gambling premises, or look at gambling transactions involving cash. It is therefore not possible to assess the impact of online gambling on the local economy using this research.The government has launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 with the publication of a Call for Evidence, and this will look at whether the right protections are in place to protect people who gamble online. We have called for evidence on the case for and against additional controls on online gambling accounts, and whether such controls should be based on affordability. The Gambling Commission’s Remote Customer Interaction consultation also called for evidence on the potential for enhanced requirements for online operators to conduct affordability checks to further protect consumers from harm. The deadline for submissions was 9 February, and the Commission is currently reviewing the evidence received.

Tourism: EU Countries

Lord Aberdare: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement on (1) the activities, and (2) the livelihoods, of UK professional international mountain leaders, and in particular those whose mountain tours pass through several EU countries.

Lord Aberdare: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that UK-based mountain tourism businesses are not prevented from continuing their activities in the EU unless they replace their UK guides with guides from an EU country.

Lord Aberdare: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that UK-based mountain tourism businesses are not prevented from continuing their activities in the EU unless they replace their UK guides with guides from an EU country.

Baroness Barran: The Withdrawal Agreement protects UK nationals who live or are a frontier worker in an EU Member State at the end of the Transition Period. Those who have had a professional qualification recognised under the EU legislation listed in the Withdrawal Agreement will keep the right to practise the profession in the Member State in which they live or work. This includes many professions in scope of the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive such as engineering and accounting.As of 1 January 2021, UK-qualified professionals who wish to supply services in the EU should seek recognition for their qualifications using the national rules in EU Member States. Professionals should check the European Commission’s Regulated Professions Database to find out if their profession is regulated in the state in which they are seeking to work. They should then contact the single point of contact for that country to find out how to get their professional qualification recognised. Alternatively, they can seek advice from the UK Centre for Professional Qualifications (UK NARIC) to find out which regulatory or professional body they should contact.The UK-EU TCA provides a framework under which the UK and the EU may agree Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) on the recognition of professional qualification covering the UK and all 27 EU Member States. Once an arrangement is adopted under the TCA, UK professionals will be able to use the terms outlined in the arrangement to secure recognition for their professional qualifications within EU Member States.Arrangements are implemented on a profession-by-profession basis and depend upon reciprocal cooperation from both the UK and EU Member States. The framework enables UK and EU professional bodies or authorities to make recommendations on MRAs to the Partnership Council.  Once an arrangement has been adopted, a professional qualified in the UK (e.g. an engineer) will be able to use the terms outlined in the arrangement to secure recognition of their qualifications within an EU Member State.The Government continues to engage with stakeholders in the tourism sector to hear their priorities for the UK’s future relationship with the EU. Officials are currently engaging with the tourism trade bodies, including the British Association of International Mountain Leaders (BAIML) to gather feedback on priority regulators and qualifications for the tourism sector.

Choirs and Orchestras: Coronavirus

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to issue new guidance to amateur choirs and orchestras on their ability to rehearse and perform; and if so, when.

Baroness Barran: On 22 February the Prime Minister set out the roadmap gradually ending the current lockdown for England.Amateur activity will be permitted from Step 3 which will begin no earlier than 17 May. The performing arts guidance will be updated in advance of each step of the roadmap.The timings outlined in the roadmap are indicative, and the Government will be led by data, rather than fixed dates. Before taking each step, the Government will review the latest data and will only ease restrictions further if it is safe to do so. The indicative, ‘no earlier than’ dates in the roadmap are all contingent on the data and subject to change.

COP26

UN Climate Conference 2021: Females

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to consult women’s civil social groups in connection with COP26; and how they will engage with these groups.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Championing women’s roles as decision-makers, educators and climate leaders is essential if we are to deliver effective, long-term solutions to climate change and ensure that women and girls are empowered as agents of change, including at COP26.There is a dedicated civil society and youth engagement team in the COP Unit that facilitates engagement with diverse women and gender groups in addition to a team responsible for gender policy that works on implementing the COP25 Gender Action Plan. Officials also lead 6 weekly calls with civil society and youth groups to update on COP Unit priorities and planning. Both have good representation of women’s civil society groups and are a part of the Presidency’s wider approach of ensuring civil society is at the heart of COP26 preparations.The COP President Designate has also set up the Civil Society and Youth Advisory Council which is meeting monthly in the run up to COP26. The most recent meeting took place on 24 February 2021 where gender and climate change was discussed. Officials also regularly meet with the high level Friends of COP, who advise the UK Presidency on a variety of issues such as gender and inclusion.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

House of Lords: Catering

Lord Blencathra: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what plans he has todiscuss with the appropriate House committees and authorities the possibility of opening House catering facilities on 17 May, in strict compliance with any COVID-19 rules applicable at that time to cafes, bars and restaurants outside the House.

Lord Touhig: The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The policy of the House Administration, endorsed by the House of Lords Commission, is to ensure that facilities on the Lords part of the Parliamentary Estate are provided in accordance with the advice of and guidance from Public Health England to ensure a safe and secure environment for members and staff. The Services Committee and the Commission will keep under review the potential for reopening and reconfiguring facilities in line with that guidance, and will be issuing further information in due course.

Palace of Westminster: Correspondence

Lord Norton of Louth: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how many items of postal correspondence were received in the Palace of Westminster in 2020; and of those, how many were received in the House of Lords.

Lord Touhig: The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. 858,483 mail items were received on the Parliamentary Estate in 2020. The Administration does not count which House each item goes to but estimates that approximately 15 per cent of these items were destined for the House of Lords.Please note that this figure refers to the whole Parliamentary Estate, not just the Palace of Westminster, and these figures do not include parcels, courier items or internal mail.

Big Ben: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord West of Spithead: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker when will (1) the scaffolding be removed from, and (2) the refurbishment be completed of, the Elizabeth Tower.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what was the original estimated cost of the refurbishment of the Elizabeth Tower; when was that refurbishment originally intended to be completed; and what is the expected final cost of that refurbishment.

Lord West of Spithead: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what was the original estimated cost of the refurbishment of the Elizabeth Tower; when was that refurbishment originally intended to be completed; and what is the expected final cost of that refurbishment.

Lord Vaux of Harrowden: The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Finance Committee, to respond on his behalf.Scaffolding was removed around the roof level of the Elizabeth Tower in October 2020. More scaffolding is expected to be removed towards the end of this year and continuing into 2022.Covid-19 has restricted the progress of the refurbishment. The completion date will be later than the planned 2021 date, and is now expected in 2022. Further information on the revised completion date will be announced once the schedule of works is finalised.The original outline business case for the Elizabeth Tower assessed the costs at £29.7m. In 2017, the final business case for the Elizabeth Tower was approved at a value of £61m, subsequently revised in February 2020 to £79.7m. The additional costs due to the impact of COVID-19 are currently being assessed.

Peers: Training

Lord Marlesford: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what has been the total cost to public funds to date for Members of the House of Lords undertaking Valuing Everyone training.

Lord McFall of Alcluith: To date, £82,158 has been spent on Valuing Everyone training for members of the House of Lords. The same training courses have been offered to, and attended by, members of both Houses. This figure includes an assumption of cost per head, as well as 30% share of development costs, pilot sessions and administration fees.